Cung Le has officially retired from fighting in mixed martial arts competitions. He will continue to fight in striking only sporting events and will pursue his acting career.
He released the following statement to the shock of his fans via MMAJunkie.
After several months of thought and discussion with my wife and family we realize our future includes many things, but active competition in mixed martial arts is no longer one of them therefore I am officially announcing my retirement from active competition. Fighting will never be far from my heart and martial arts will always continue to be a part of my daily life. I have thoroughly enjoyed the career that I have been blessed with due in large part to all my fans and the many people who have helped me on my journey.
I’d like to recognize the UFC for the opportunity they have provided me, the sport of mixed martial arts, and more importantly the fans who love it, you will never be far from my heart. It has truly been my honor and my privilege to entertain you.
Last Summer the UFC reported that Le had tested positive for banned substances and he was suspended him for nine months. The suspension was later raised to a whopping twelve months. The bout he was tested at was held in Macau where there is no regulation of the sport, so the UFC itself was regulating. The blood test that reportedly showed positive was done during the final week before the fight, when images surfaced on social networks of Le looking ridiculously ripped. Because of the short period of time, no WADA accredited lab was available and this the results of the test were brought in to question. The UFC eventually withdrew the suspension and because of what it did to his reputation, Le asked to be released.
Le then joined Jon Fitch and Nate Quarry in a multi-million dollar class action lawsuit against the UFC, stating that the UFC was an MMA monopoly. Despite this, ZUFFA CEO Lorenzo Fertitta and UFC president Dana White offered up some very kind words to Le via the UFC website.
Lorenzo Fertitta:
Cung Le was a great ambassador of the sport for us in Asia and one of the most exciting middleweights to step foot in the Octagon. We wish him well in his retirement and future endeavors.
Dana White:
Cung Le was awesome and would take any fight. He was such a huge piece of the success of The Ultimate Fighter China. I loved working with him and wish him well in the future.
ProMMANow wishes our friend Cung Le the best in his future endeavors.
Cung did a good job.
I thought he would get his ass clowned in the UFC.
He was late 30’s-40 when he came in.
The only alleged real competition experience he had was that esoteric offbrand kickboxing that looked more like sparring.
But he hung with some real names in the sport and even knocked one out. Not bad at all.